Singapore Hot Stocks-Starhub, Cosco, Auston, PDC Corp. in Focus

PRESS CLIPPING

Reuters 16 January 2007

Tuesday January 16, 8:48 AM

Singapore Hot Stocks-StarHub, Cosco, Auston, PDC Corp. in focus

SINGAPORE, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Singapore's second-largest telecoms firm StarHub could be in focus on Tuesday after Qatar Telecom bought a stake in its parent, Asia Mobile Holding. Wall Street was closed on Monday, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Stocks and factors to watch:

- Singapore Telecommunications , Southeast Asia's largest telecoms firm, may be in focus following news that it has received a licence to roll out nationwide Internet Protocol television services, breaking the monopoly held by StarHub. For more details, click on [ID:nSIN203030].

- Qatar Telecommunications Co. , the fifth-largest Gulf Arab telecoms firm by market value, will invest up to US$635 million in cash in a unit of ST Telemedia, a joint statement by both companies said on Monday. ST Telemedia own's StarHub. For more details, click on [ID:nSIN199583].

- Cosco Corp a ship repair company controlled by China's biggest shipping firm, has won new building and conversion contracts worth more than $450 million, including its first semi- submersible vessel building contract valued at $200 million, through its unit Cosco Shipyard Group. For more details, click on [ID:nSFA003662] and [ID:nSFA003661].

- Education services provider Auston International Group will issue 660 million new shares worth S$165 million ($107.1 million) to shareholders of broadband television service provider M2B World Asia Pacific, representing 66.7 percent of Auston's enlarged share capital.

- PDC Corp , a construction and property firm, said it will invest $50 million to develop Singapore's first agricultural research and development center for hybrid corn strains.

It will also, together with Super CoffeeMix , set up Singapore's first coffee bean academy for research and development.

- Devotion Eco-Thermal , which develops and fabricates energy saving and central heating infrastructure, intends to set up a new wholly-owned subsidiary in Guangzhou, China, for a registered capital of $12 million to manufacture and sell energy fuel.

- Construction firm Brothers Holdings will fund up to 187.8 million yuan ($24.10 million) in a new joint venture company set up by its subsidiary in China, through the subscription of shares and extension of shareholders' loans.

It has also proposed a placement of 24.8 million new ordinary shares at S$0.291 each.

- Singapore Airlines , the world's second-biggest airline by stock market value, filled 70.7 percent of the space available on its planes for passengers and cargo in December, down 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier. PRESS CLIPPING

- Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust has acquired an office space in Suntec Tower 2 for about S$19.2 million.

- Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust has renewed and signed new leases that represent an annualised rental income of S$11.9 million for A-REIT.

- Tat Hong Holdings , a crane rental firm, has bought 40.9 million ordinary shares in Kian Ho Bearings for about S$10.6 million.

- Fish breeder Qian Hu posted net profits of S$2.6 million for its financial year ended 31 December 2006, up 28.9 percent compared to the same period a year ago.

- Construction firm Koh Brother Developments has acquired a freehold site at Florence Road for about S$1.5 million.

- Link Hi Holdings , which makes steel tubes used in the auto, oil and gas industries, has set up a new unit in Wuxi, China, for a registered and paid-up capital of 10 million yuan to conduct research and development, as well as manufacture and sell steel pipes.

- Hsu Fu Chi International , a China-based maker of cakes and sweets, has requested for a trading halt, pending an announcement.

- JEL Corporation , which distributes consumer goods ranging from Duracell batteries to Nikon cameras, said local businessmen Koh Boon Hwee and Sam Goi have subscribed for 10 million and 20 million new shares in JEL respectively, at S$0.22 per share, representing a 10.2 percent of JEL's enlarged share capital.

- Macau casino mogul Stanley Ho is poised to buy up to 10 percent of cruise operator Star Cruises , the Straits Times said.

- Construction firm Permasteelisa Pacific Holdings announced that its Hong Kong sub-subsidiary Million Grand Industrial has been liquidated.

- Lee Kim Tah Holdings , a construction and property development firm, has completed voluntary liquidation proceedings of its former unit Kim Da Enterprise.

- Singapore's Straits Times Index ended up 0.88 percent at 3,035.58 points led by gains in China-based shipyard Cosco Corp.

- For Singapore press digest click on [ID:nSIN158795].

- For Singapore IPO diary and performance, please click on:.